Use of an in ovo technique to provide adults of Levinseniella sp. no. 17 that were identified as Levinseniella minuta (Trematoda: Microphallidae).

Metacercarial cysts identified as Levinseniella sp. no. 17 (Deblock, 1980) were found in the mud snail Hydrobia ulvae. These larval trematodes had never been allied to a known species of adult worm. They were chemically excysted and cultured for 120 hr on the chorioallantoic membranes of chicken embryos. The resulting adult worms were observed by light and scanning electron microscopy and details of their anatomy and topography were compiled. Their morphometric measurements were compared with those of adult worms taken from the scientific literature. A very high degree of similarity was discovered between anatomical details of the worms produced in this study and those provided for Levinseniella minuta. It was concluded that Levinseniella sp. no. 17 is the larval stage of L. minuta.